For a lot golfers, The Masters is the best tournament on the planet. The reasons for this are plentiful and we don’t need to delve into them right now.
Nearly every pro dreams of making it to Augusta National at least once in their career, while a lucky few might even envisage slipping on a Green Jacket by the 18th green.
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But, for each of the 91 professionals or amateurs involved this year, it’s simply about making it through to the weekend in the first place before thinking about giving yourself half a chance come Sunday.
Before we look at the prize money involved, here is exactly how The Masters’ cut rule works.
THE MASTERS CUT RULE EXPLAINED
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After 36 holes are completed, the Masters field is cut to the low 50 players and ties.
This has changed over the years, with the first cut being put in place in 1957 – 23 years after the first edition of the tournament.
From 1957-61, the field was cut to the low 40 and ties before being changed the next year with the introduction of the 10-shot rule.
From 1962-2012, the field was cut to the low 44 and ties, with anyone within 10 strokes of the lead also making it through.
Over the next seven years, the 36-hole cut was expanded to the low 50 and ties – as well as anyone within 10 strokes of the leader.
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More tweaks to the cut were made in 2020, which was when the 10-shot rule was scrapped.
Now, it’s simply the low 50 and ties that earn the chance to play all four rounds and compete for that coveted Green Jacket.
But if the worst happens and a player’s Masters week ends at the halfway mark, there is a pretty worthwhile consolation prize heading their way…
THE MASTERS CUT PAYOUT
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The Masters is not like most other tournaments or championships, that much is obvious. But one of the ways the great invitational differentiates itself is by rewarding those who qualify regardless.
Most professional golf tournaments do not pay pros who miss the cut, but The Masters does.
In years gone by, anyone who fell at the cut stage was given $10,000 as way of consolation. The three other Majors in men’s golf do likewise, with the amounts varying by championship.
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However, since 2025, any professional who fails to make the cut at The Masters has earned a cool $25,000. Amateurs, by definition, do not qualify for the payout.
The trend of growing prize money purses at Augusta National has been steep of late, with the overall figure rising from $11.5 million in 2021 all the way through to $21 million in 2025.
Rory McIlroy won $4.2 million as a result of clinching his first Green Jacket while those who languished at the bottom of the leaderboard through four rounds took away more than $50,000 each.
The Masters prize money payout for 2026 is yet to be announced at the time of writing, but it wouldn’t be a total shock to see that figure rise once more, even just by a modest amount.